Pensieve of Memories
by kakashidiot
Summary: UPDATED! HP Drabblets. Snape, RonHermione, HarryGinny. Spoilers for DH! The Man Who Lived. RandR!
1. Tears

I do not own Snape or Harry Potter or any of the books, characters etc found within. They belong to J.K. Rawlings. I'm just messing with my and your head:P

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READ AND REVIEW IF YOU LIKE!!!

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Title: Tears

Character: Snape, Harry, Draco

Genre: Angst

Rating: K

Warnings: None really. Spoilers for DH!!!

Summary: At Snape's Funeral, Draco and Harry grieve.

A/N: Because I wonder what Snape's funeral would really be like...

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**Tears**

Snape's funeral was silent.

Silent and smothered.

And to Harry, the black mourning dress, robes and suits seemed more dark than ever. Even the grey, gloomy, glowering sky seemed to agree. It rolled, sullen, over the graveyard - and when the final eulogy came to a rather anti-climactic end, a rumble made the small group of mourners look up fearfully. Black umbrellas, then opened, on cue to protect the parents, students and teachers from the rain.

Harry and Draco stood side by side in staunch silence, ignoring the rain drenching them.

They never knew both were glad for the rain.

Nobody would guess they were crying.

Harry, ignoring the annoying droplets running off his chin and nose, wondered how it came to this.


	2. Regrets

I do not own Snape or Harry Potter or any of the books, characters etc found within. They belong to J.K. Rawlings. I'm just messing with my and your head:P

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READ AND REVIEW IF YOU LIKE!!!

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Title: Regrets

Character: Snape, Harry

Genre: Angst

Rating: K

Warnings: None really. Spoilers for DH!!! Character death.

Summary: At Snape's Funeral, Harry is in shock.

A/N: Because I wonder what Harry would be thinking at Snape's visitation... lol.

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**Regrets**

Even in death, he looked stern. Harry gaping down at his ex-nemesis, ex-Potions Master, part-time Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, and latest Hogwarts Headmaster...

Harry gaping down at the stern, pale face - the black hair neatly combed and washed - couldn't believe his eyes.

_Any moment now_, he thought. _He's going to get up and scold me for my failed Potions test and half-baked research projects... _

But he didn't.

He just lay there gloriously stern.

Stern with justice - and dead.

Very dead.

_It's so hard to believe_, the young man sighed. _But it's true._

He looked down at the beaky nose which slowly blurred. In and out, in and out.

_Shit, Harry thought in shock. I'm crying._


	3. Small Smile

I do not own Snape or Harry Potter or any of the books, characters etc found within. They belong to J.K. Rawlings. I'm just messing with my and your head:P

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READ AND REVIEW IF YOU LIKE!!!

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Title: Small Smile

Character: Snape, Harry, Hermione, Ron

Genre: Angst

Rating: K

Warnings: None really. Spoilers for DH!!! Character Death...

Summary: Harry notices something odd about Snape...

A/N: Because I wonder what Snape would look like in a coffin...

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**Small Smile**

_It was odd_, Harry thought._ I must be dreaming. _

"Is he - smiling?" he wondered out loud to his two companions, who shuffled by, looking properly mournful as they passed the ex-Potions Master to say goodbye.

Hermione nudged Harry away from his precarious position by the casket.

"Don't lean like that!" she hissed. "And don't gawk!!! Show some respect!"

"But -" Harry was pushed roughly onward.

"Smiling?" Ron snorted. "Snape smiling? Harry - are you alright? His face was... kind of scrunched up..."

Hermione wrinkled her nose.

"But considering..." Here, she paused delicately. "I thought -"

"I thought he was just about to give me another set of parchments to write on Wolfsbane or something..." Ron interjected with a shudder. "Even dead, he looks mean."

"Now, Ron," Hermione sighed. "Be nice. After all, he died for a - a - a good cause."

Harry said nothing else, letting his two friends bicker on unheeded.

But during the eulogy, the silent lowering of the black and silver casket into the ground, he couldn't forget it.

The stern face. The lips firm as if set in stone.

In that perpetual downturned expression.

There it was tucked away in the corner of his mouth.

A small smile.

_What did those penetrating black eyes see in death_, Harry shivered.

But he could hear Dumbledore, Sirius and Lupin answer that question.

He had seen warm green eyes.

He had seen Lily.


	4. Crossing Without Regret

I do not own Snape or Harry Potter or any of the books, characters etc found within. They belong to J.K. Rawlings. I'm just messing with my and your head:P

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READ AND REVIEW IF YOU LIKE!!!

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Title: Crossing Without Regret

Character: Snape, Dumbledore

Genre: Angst

Rating: K

Warnings: None really. Spoilers for DH!!! Character death...

Summary: Snape finds himself at King's Cross - with Dumbledore. Will he be able to move on in peace?

A/N: When I first read the book, I was reather disconsolate, but then, I remembered Miyazaki's film, "Spirited Away"... and after listening to "Train Ride" (one of the OST tracks), this one-shot was birthed. Sad. Mystic... and a little odd... but... sad, I think. Tell me what you think.

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**Crossing Without Regret**

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on his feet. At King's Cross.

It looked foreign to him - a place he had visited only once, when his mother had gone to meet his father on a holiday. It looked twice as foreign because it was silent.

Silent and empty.

The long concrete platform beneath his feet, stretched out to seeming inifinite - and the tracks disappeared into a hazy horizon beyond the station. Above him, the neon lights flickered uncertainly. Somewhere, the sun was shining.

But there was nothing there. Not even the sound of flies bumbling against the hot lights.

"I've been waiting," a soft dry voice announced suddenly into the stark silence.

A dry chuckle followed.

Snape quickly whirled around - and found himself face to face with Dumbledore. His chest constricted.

"So I'm dead then. It's over."

He looked down at his scuffed shoes, suddenly very aware that he was still dressed in his favorite perpetual blacks.

"And never more prepared," the elder Headmaster's eyes crinkled with amusement. "You always looked like you were ready for a funeral."

Snape looked up with disgruntlement - and sighed roughly at the twinkling eyes behind the crescent glasses.

"A little bit of color would never harm you, Severus," Dumbledore stroked his beard. "But - it's good to see that some things haven't changed."

Snape glared at the swinging "King's Cross" sign board.

There was no wind.

"What are you doing here?" His fingers fiddled with his cuffs, a sign of anxiety and deep thought.

"Waiting," Dumbledore replied simply.

"For what?" Snape asked, unsettled.

"For Harry. For the end."

"You think this will work, even now?"

"Hmmmm... I trust in Harry's courage."

"Courage?" sneered the ex-Potions Master. "More like, lack of character and an incredible amount of foolishness."

"Now, now, Severus," Dumbledore sighed. "Let bygones be bygones. You don't want to carry a grudge into the grave, do you?"

"I AM in the grave," Snape retorted acidly.

The rails rattled, and a rumble far away could be heard.

"I've carried everything of me here," Snape stiffened under the mild rebuke in Dumbledore's eyes. "It's over."

"Over?" Dumbledore smiled softly, at his favorite testy Potions Master. "It's not over yet. Not for you - nor for me - nor even for Harry. The past - you - will live on in the future."

Snape twisted around to gaze at the far end of the platform, biting his lip savagely.

_What did I leave behind as a legacy?  
_

Another part of him mocked his regret.

_Fool! You did what you did for good reason. No whining from you._

Dumbledore's warm, firm hand gripped his shoulder as Snape tipped his head, his longish, black, greasy hair fell forward, hiding his face.

"They will remember you."

"Hmph," snorted Snape.

"Severus."

A train appeared and shuddered to a halt, brakes squealing.

"This is for you," Dumbledore said. "Take it, Severus, with courage and no regrets."

"Of course I will," Severus Snape retorted defensively, not bothering to wipe his not-so-dry cheeks.

His voice was firm and showed no emotion.

The door slid open.

He set a foot inside and then turned.

"Thank you - Dumbledore," he nodded stiffly.

Dumbledore drew him into a hug. Snape just stiffened further.

"Be good," the Headmaster said. "I'll find you later."

The doors were shutting.

Dumbledore stepped back and down.

"I'm proud of you," he smiled. "You were a great Headmaster, so don't -"

"I'm not regretting anything," Snape smiled crookedly. He paused. "Well... I wish I could just see her eyes one more time."

"You will," Dumbledore promised. "Trust me."

"Sure," Snape blinked.

The doors shut.

The train rolled away.

But they kept eye contact until the platform disappeared.

Snape turned and looked forward.

He had survived everything.

He would survive this.


	5. Cravings

I do not own Snape or Harry Potter or any of the books, characters etc found within. They belong to J.K. Rawlings. I'm just messing with my and your head:P

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READ AND REVIEW IF YOU LIKE!!!

-

Title: Crossing Without Regret

Character: Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, a little bit of other miscellaneous characters...

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Fluff

Rating: T

Warnings: COLORFUL LANGUAGE (a la Ron). Spoilers for DH's epilogue!!!

Summary: Hermione is pregant AGAIN. And this time, the cravings are worse then ever!!! How's Ron gonna cope???

A/N: As the eldest of 10 children, I've seen alot of pregnancies... My mom's cravings were never as odd as the one's you are about to read. Pizza was her weakness... chocolate, if I remember correctly - and icecream. (Maybe that's why she gained weight more often than not... . ;;;) At any rate... I hope this story makes you all laugh. This is my first Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione fic ever... so tell me how it went!

**Dedication to Erin - beloved Harry Potter otaku and coworker. May we have many more shifts in the future together - so that we can annoy our less interested coworkers with our obscure Potter quotes and references!**

**-**

**Cravings**

_He was watching Hermione, rock back and forth, back and forth in her favorite rocking chair, cooing at the newest edition to their family. She looked so lovely, he thought, as he bounded up the stairs._

_"I'm home!!!" He said._

_She smiled._

_The rocking chair creaked oddly._

_Creaked again._

_"Needs fixing, eh?" Ron asked, pulling out his wand. "Rep-"_

_"Oh no you don't," Hermione said severely getting up out of the chair. "Not with that wand..."_

_"What ARE you talking about, 'Mione -"_

_Ron's eyes widened with horror as he noticed how bent and old his wand was - wrapped around the middle several times with tape._

_"WHAT THE HELL?"_

_"SHHH... Ron! No swearing in front of the children!" Hermione scolded._

_The rocking chair creaked again._

_Creak-creak -_

Ron's eyes flew open.

**12:30**

She was up AGAIN.

He could hear her moving slowly about the room - carefully and as quietly as her bulk could allow. There was a small bump, a short "darn it!" and then the door creaked open.

_One hour and she's already up again?_ Ron sighed. _This is gonna be a long one, I can tell..._

Ronald Weasley, now head of the Auror Department, had thought he'd seen everything... but even with the second baby on the way, the red-haired father had come to realize that some things could never be predicted.

One of them being Hermione's bizarre behaviour during the pregnancies.

She came back in, after a moment, and he turned to face her in the dark.

" 'Mione, you 'kay?" He mumbled, his voice hoarse.

Her rather curvy figure, just vaguely visible against the pale curtains, paused.

"Ron? Sorry... I was thirsty..."

"You were thirsty an HOUR ago..."

"Yeah... I got thirsty again."

Ron sighed.

Hermione got back into bed again.

Creeeeaaakkk-

"We need a better bed," Ron said into the dark.

"HmmmMmmm," was all Hermione said in response as she dropped off to sleep almost immediately, leaving her husband now VERY wide awake.

"Damn..." he whispered, turning on his side, trying to find a comfortable cuddling position, before resuming his dream.

**2:30**

He was JUST giving Draco Malfoy a satisfying upper cut, when McGonagall's desk started to creak. Ominously.

Ron woke with a start, glad he missed out on the Transfiguration Professors scolding - but rather groggy.

Once again, Hermione's side of the bed was empty. He waited ten minutes for her to return.

No sign of her.

Fifteen minutes...

Still no sign of his rather pregnant wife.

He lay there and waited.

**3:00**

Grabbing a robe, Ron left the bedroom in search of his wife - only to find her looking guilty over a bowl of moving tiger stripe icecream with a healthy sprinkling of Berty Bott's Every Flavoured Beans on top. Unsure of whether to be sick or not, he turned away rather queasy, and found some sort of comfort in making himself a healthy cup of coffee.

_Icecream at this hour... _The red-head thought._ Is a bit much._

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked.

"No..." Hermione sighed. "You?"

"Welll... no..." Ron didn't have the heart to rag so hard on her.

It was not Hermione's fault that she couldn't sleep.

"Mini monster is causing you trouble?"

"Yeah..." Hermione shrugged. "And my stomach was rumbling. So..."

"Icecream time..."

Hermione sighed.

"Mother warned me about this... but with Hugo... it wasn't so bad... was it?"

"It's gonna be a girl."

"Now why do you say that?" Hermione asked rather crossly.

"Cause only girls are this temperamental. Well... just 'mental' if you ask me... but -"

"Nobody asked you, Ron," Hermione set the bowls into the sink and flounced back to her bedroom.

By the time Ron was done his coffee, she was fast asleep.

_Damn these women_, he thought. _I wonder how Harry's doing..._

He fell asleep eventually - but his dreams were murky.

**4:30**

When Mad Eye Moody's old leg began to creak, he woke up right away.

He guessed the truth right away. Not hard considering it was Hermione's new habit to get up several times in the night for... bizarre reasons... Quickly following his wife out to the kitchen, Ron watched speechlessly as his now really tired, grumpy and frazzled wife, attempted to find something good to eat from the refridgeration unit in the kitchen.

He never really liked the contraption - but Hermione said it was a "necessity".

_For Muggle's maybe_, Ron thought. _But it's... so..._

He gave up trying to describe it, and decided instead to help her find what she wanted.

"I just can't bend over like I used to," Hermione sighed, rubbing Weasley Number 2.

Ron nodded with sympathy and held up various foods for inspection. The cheese, her newly favored spinach crackers... the pumpkin juice pasty filling cans she had gotten addicted to three weeks earlier... even the small doses of vitamin potions, which she claimed tasted like heaven, but which smelled like skunk...

Nothing passed muster. Ron felt his already very small patience slipping through his fingers.

"The quicker you find it," he explained to her, trying to sound helpful (although he really wanted to tear his hair out). "The quicker you get to bed, the more sleep you will get, the better you - and I - but you, mostly, will feel..."

Hermione slumped onto the kitchen chair.

"I ate the last of it."

"Of what?"

"The pizza Mother brought over."

She looked close to tears.

"What?"

"Pizza."

"Pee-tza?" Ron blinked. "Are you talking about that Muggle food again? The round flat bread with all that junk on top?"

"It's not junk."

"It looked weird..."

"And chocolate frogs are not?"

Hermione glared. Ron felt like scum.

"How do I get it?"

Hermione looked up at her husband.

"You go lie down, and I'll get it."

"You sure, Ron? I could easily just call..."

"No... it's fine... I can do it. You need your rest... I've had loads of practice now."

"O-okay..."

Five minutes later, Hermione lay tucked safely away in bed, once again snoring lightly - while Ron paced the family room nearly pulling his hair out.

_Pee-tza? How the heck do I go about getting THAT?_

-

_It was that time of the year again. And Harry was enjoying it._

_Alright, he admitted. It is a little cold. But there's nothing like feeling a strong wind when on a broom ride. Even in November._

_In front of his mouth little puffs of air appeared - the disappeared - into the cold sky. But he felt as warm as the sun, which soared alongside them -_

_Them..._

_He looked down affectionately at the red-head snuggled against his chest._

_Ginny Weasley._

_Alone with him, riding side-saddle on his broom._

_It was too good to be true - and the moment of all moments was to come..._

_He knew what was going to happen. Balancing expertly on the Firebolt, he dug his favorite Snitch out of his pocket - and laid it gently on the palm of her hand. Harry looked away - ears red as he blushed profusely - as he huskily whispered:_

_"It's for you, Ginny. Look inside."_

_The youngest Weasley popped it open with certainty -_

_Almost as if she knew..._

_Harry's stomach flopped over._

_But her grin widened, eyes sparkling as he slid the ring onto her finger._

_"It's a piece of my heart," he said softly. "I hope you'll give me yours forever, as well..."_

_"Oh yes!" Ginny sighed, her cheeks blushing as red as her hair._

_They kissed._

_The broom soared._

_The air got cold._

_The handle froze._

_Ginny slipped and fell._

_Harry's heart stopped - then he plunged after her, trying to catch up to her momentum._

_"GINNNNNYYYYY!!!!!"_

_"Fool," he could hear Snape's muttering voice. "Trying to be impressive as usual, eh... Potter? And what happens? Another innocent dies... how ironic that it's your own fiancee..."_

_She landed with a loud THUMP._

Harry's eyes flew open as Ginny's hand dug into his arm. Her furious eyes, as she yelled, "YOU PONCING IDIOT!!!" faded into the darkness.

Instead, his wife propped herself up awkwardly - the blankets rumpling off her swollen belly -

"Harry!" she hissed in quiet panic. "There's someone in the house!"

Another THUD!

"It's the Floo!"

"Let me see..." Harry sghed crossly. "I'll hex the idiot quick enough."

Creeping downstairs, trusty wand at the ready, Harry whispered, "Lumos", lighting the entire room suddenly with the lamps scattered around the walls. He caught sight of something dark flapping -

"STUPIFY!" roared Harry, reflexively.

"EEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!" squealed the intruder in a very familiar shrill voice.

The room fell dark. Then the lights flickered back on.

Silence.

"Ron?" Harry asked, totally bewildered at the sight of his brother-in-law cringing on the living room carpet.

"That nearly killed me!" Ron's eyes were wide.

"Sorry but - we thought... never mind..."

A pause.

"What the hell ARE you doing here?" asked Harry.

"Yeah, Ron -" Ginny echoed from behind her husband, on the stairs. "What ARE you doing?"

Calmly setting aside an Egyptian urn-like ornament, the young woman waddled into the kitchen muttering something about pickles.

"What's she want?" Ron asked, blinking at Harry in the bright light.

Harry shrugged, dimming the lamps.

"Dunno..."

A pause.

"You know how they get..."

"I HEARD THAT!" Ginny yelled from the kitchen.

The two men rolled their eyes and then trailed into the warm kitchen.

"She's... being doing good," Harry said lamely at the sight of Ginny, piling something green and white into a large bowl. "Baby's fine too..."

"What the hell..." Ron exclaimed in a strangled voice. "Is that..."

"Don't ask."

"I feel like I'm gonna be sick."

"Now, Ron - it's quite normal, I hear -" Harry interjected at the sight of Ginny's thunderous face, her cheeks bulging a little from a "healthy" spoonful of pickle a la mode.

"Pickles on - on - THAT ain't normal, Harry..."

"Yes, yes," Ginny waved her spoon irritably at her grossed out brother. "But YOU haven't explained yourself. Creeping around the house at this time at night."

She gave a meaningful glance at the kitchen clock which now proclaimed the time of 4:57 am.

"It's Hermione -" Ron started.

"HERMIONE?" Harry and Ginny interrupted with anxiety.

"She went into premature labor?" Ginny glared. "Why didn't you say so at once?"

"No - it's only -"

"She's hurt?" interrogated Harry, simultaneously, worry flickering in his green eyes. "I told her to quit her job long ago... she didn't go back, did she?"

"No. It's pee-tza."

A silence worth a thousand words followed.

Then, Harry spoke, in a strained voice, breaking the tension.

"Sorry... Ron... you said... what?"

"Hermione... wants pizza... she's gonna be waking up in half an hour wanting one."

"Pizza." Harry repeated.

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "You know... the round flat bread with all that junk on top..."

Ginny dropped her spoon into her bowl with a disgusted sigh.

"I know what pizza is, Ron." Harry shook his head. "But that doesn't explain why YOU are HERE..."

"I needed to get you to help me get it..." Ron babbled, now realizing he was in deep shit waaayyy over his head.

Ginny stomped past him with a huff.

"You know how Hermione gets when it's that time of her pregnancy... It's... awful..."

Harry sighed.

"I tried - I really did... but the telephone just... it's..."

"Okay, Ron," Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll order it just this once - but you're going to have to listen carefully - so you learn how to do it yourself, okay?"

"Yeah... sure."

"I'm sure Ginny will be much more happier with you if you didn't come and wake her up for no good reason."

"But there is a good reason - it's for -"

"Ron. Ginny is a very pregnant woman," Harry said with a very serious voice. "And you, of all people, know how they can get if - well... if things don't go their way..."

"I HEARD THAT HARRY POTTER!!!!" Ginny yelled down the stairs. "And you can take the couch for tonight!"

-

**5:45**

Hermione was cheerfully chomping down on a barbeque sauce, asparagus and sausuge pizza with extra cheese. Her current favorite - liberally topped with her own dill pickles. Ron just shook his head - and looked away studiously at the fridge's magnets. After fifteen minutes, she heaved a sigh of contentment, rose slowly and stashed the rest of the slices away for the next day -

Or the next night of cravings, Ron thought gloomily.

He looked horrible - rumpled, sooty from the Floo travel, hoarse from his rather loud conversation on the phone and tired - dark circles under his baggy eyes and all.

I dunno if I'm gonna be able to survive the next Craving Night of Doom... And they said that life as an Auror was bad...

"Let's get going to bed, Ron," Hermione said, lightly shaking her dozing husband. "I think I'll be able to stay down for the rest of the evening," she added, apologetically.

"We'll see..." Ron said dubiously, following her to bed.

As they crawled under the sheets, Hermione sighed into the dark.

"You're grimy - what were you doing while I was asleep? You didn't go out to get pizza when I was asleep?"

"N-n-no..." Ron said uncertainly, deciding to save the story of his trip to Harry's house for another day. "Nothing like that... just... issues... but..." He added self-importantly. "Nothing that I couldn't handle."

"Hmmm... To be sure..." Hermione giggled lightly as she snuggled with Ron. She was aiming for his mouth, but the kiss sort of landed on the side of his chin. He turned his head to get it right the second time.

**6:13**

When he came for air, Ron remembered once again why all this muss, this fuss... why all these food cravings started in the first place. It was the baby. The baby which was a sign of Hermione and his love for each other. A special being who carried the love of many generations - and the hope of a better world.

"Thanks for everything, Ron," Hermione whispered, as she fell asleep at her grinning husband.

"N-n-no problem, 'Mione... It's... my pleasure, really... My pleasure..."

He fell asleep, this time for good - with memories and hopes of love dancing around in his mind. He closed his eyes and dreamed.

_Dreamed of Hermione's happy smile, warm lips and the feeling of her hair under his fingers. Her fingers pressed lightly on his lips, bringing him down on top of her - the mattress bouncing slightly. _

_"What are we going to name him?" she asked._

_"It'll be a she," he smiled. "And she'll look just as lovely as her mother."_

_"Hmmm... you think?"_

_"Of course... She's a Weasley-Granger combination."_

_"How... comforting..."_

_"Hmmm... It is, isn't it? It's a sign of how much we love each other... a symbol of hope really - purebloods and new blood mixing together to create a new people. So exciting, don't you think? The best way to fight the memory of Voldemort is what I think..."_

_"Wow... Ron..." Hermione sounded reluctantly impressed. "That was... really quite a brilliant speech."_

_"You think so?" Ron looked impressed with himself too. "I was thinking though - if it's a girl... to give her a flower name. Like... I dunno... Aster... or... Marigold."_

_"What?? Good heavens, Ron... those are..."_

_"Pretty nice, huh?"_

_"HORRIBLE! No daughter of mine is going to be called Aster..."_

_"Fine then... how 'bout... Holly or Lavender?"_

_"Forget what I just said about brilliant ideas..."_

_"What -"_

_"Just forget it."_

_"What's wrong NOW? I thought a flower name would be brilliant. Like Rose."_

_"Rose isn't bad."_

_"We could call her Rosy for short."_

_"How is that shorter?"_

_And so... the bickering continued._

**6:45**

Ron is grinning in his sleep.

-

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	6. The Man Who Lived

I do not own HP. It belongs with all it's characters etc to Rawlings.

Read and Review!

**THANKS ESPECIALLY TO EMPTYWORD and her VERY THOUGHTFUL REVIEWS!!!!! I appreciate all of them... and will take them to heart (if I'm not too lazy to make the necessary changes. lol.)**

Title: The Man Who Lived

Character: Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter

Genre: Supernatural (!!!), Drama

Rating: T

Warnings: COLORFUL LANGUAGE. Spoilers for DH!!!

Summary: Snape is ALIVE.

A/N: Snape as a vampire... Hm... There's a thought.

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The Man Who Lived 

He stood there with his back to them - his eternally dark clothing and even darker hair blending into the night and the Forbidden Forest before them. They stood ther e- behind him - gazing at the familiar silhoette of their once dead Potions Master.

McGonagall's voice seemed shrill in the silence as she hurried to the man's side.

Nobody else would move.

_It was as if_, Harry thought whimsically, _it was as if someone had cast a giant Imperius on all of them -_

"Severus!" She gasped. "You - you are alive?"

"Alive?" His smooth voice asked finally - as her wrinkled hand firmly grasped his shoulder. He did not swing around - his body as firmly in place as a boulder.

Severus Snape found himself unwilling to face the victorious -

The Weasleys and their... friends...

The Ministry...

The Hogwarts Staff...

The Boy Who FUCKING Lived...

At one time, he supposed that maybe - just maybe - he'd survive the war - survive Voldemort and Dumbledore's machinations... It would explain the deep seated gnawing feeling of dissappointment in his belly.

At best he would be buried with a Merlin's First Class on his chest.

But well laid plans often go awry - and here he was -

There they were -

Silent and frozen as McGonagall's face - as the old women recognized belatedly - with shock -

Snape was indeed alive and did not look a day over twenty.

-

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